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PUBLICATIONS  OF 
THE  HISPANIC  SOCIETY  OF  AMERICA 

No.  102 


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SPANISH  GLASS 


IN  THE  COLLECTION  OF 


THE  HISPANIC  SOCIETY  OF  AMERICA 


BY 

EDWIN  ATLEE  BARBER,  PhD. 

DIRECTOR  OF  THE  PENNSYLVANIA  MUSEUM  AND  SCHOOL 
OF  INDUSTRIAL  ART 


ILLUSTRATED 


G,R  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NE  V  YORK  AND  LONDON 

Cbe  Iftntcfterbocker  ftrees 
1917 


• »  •  «»r  ♦  ••  •  ••• 


^ 


Copyright,  1917 

by 

THE   HISPANIC  SOCIETY   OF   AMERICA 


TIbe  Iknfcfterbocher  ipress,  H*ew  Jgorft 


:  •*•        •  *  *  «  . :  : 


..k       e     «■  c    *  »      •  1. 


►•    •  •  .*•  t  • . 

I  .  €  *     * 

■  •  C    •    "    » 


LIST  OF  PLATES 

PLATE  PAGE 

I. — Vase      .....     Frontispiece 

II. — Pokal,  or  Goblet  —  Barcelona,  Late 

Seventeenth  Century   .    .    .27 

III. — Beaker,  or  Pokal  Bowl  —  Barcelona, 

Seventeenth  Century   ...   29 

IV. — Flask — Maria,  Province  of  Almeria  .  31 

V. — Cup — Probably  Catalonian    .    .  33 

VI. — Sugar  Bowl — San  Ildefonso    .    .  35 

VII. — Tumbler — San  Ildefonso   ...  37 

VIII. — Bottle,  or  Decanter — San  Ildefonso  39 

IX. — Mug — San  Ildefonso  .    .    .  41 

X. — Vase — San  Ildefonso  .    .    .    -43 


111 


352418 


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SPANISH  GLASS 

INTRODUCTORY  NOTES 

ALTHOUGH  glass-making  was  one  of  the  earliest 
and  most  important  of  the  arts  in  Spain  and 
has  continued  uninterruptedly  down  to  the  present 
time,  its  complete  history  has  not  as  yet  been  written. 
Gerspach,  who  includes  a  brief  review  of  the  subject 
in  his  VArt  de  la  Verrerie,  tells  us  that  most  of  his 
information  was  given  him  by  Baron  Charles  Da- 
villier,  whose  death  prevented  the  completion  of 
two  works  on  the  glass  industry  of  Spain  and  painting 
on  glass.  The  literature  of  this  craft  in  Spain  con- 
sists principally  of  the  mention  of  manufacturing 
centres  by  earlier  writers  in  their  works  of  a  general 
nature,  which  statements  have  been  gathered  together 
by  later  authors,  such  as  Rico  y  Sinobas,  Juan  F. 
Riano,  and  Leonard  Williams,  but  these  accounts 
furnish  little  information  regarding  the  exact  char- 
acter of  the  several  wares  which  were  produced  at 
various  places  at  different  periods.  The  results 
of  Riano's  researches  and  studies,  which  have  been 
summed  up  in  a  single  chapter  of  his  Industrial 


'  <  '     I 


«?.*|.HV  '■:..;  SPANISH  GLASS 

Arts  in  Spain,  comprise  practically  all  the  informa- 
tion on  the  subject  we  possess,  which  has  been  used 
by  the  other  recent  chroniclers  in  their  reference  to 
this  art.  The  material  for  the  intelligent  study  of 
the  subject  is  contained  in  the  public  and  private 
collections  of  glass  in  Spain  and  elsewhere,  rather 
than  in  the  manuscripts  and  printed  archives  of 
the  past,  and  awaits  the  attention  of  a  competent 
specialist. 

Through  the  fragmentary  accounts  which  have 
reached  us  since  the  fourteenth  century,  certain 
important  facts,  relative  to  the  condition  of  the  art 
in  Spain,  stand  out  prominently.  Several  distinct 
influences  appear  to  have  been  at  work  in  different 
sections  of  the  Peninsula  from  an  early  period,  among 
which,  in  their  due  order,  were  the  Roman,  the 
Saracenic,  the  Venetian,  and  that  of  Western  Europe. 
The  development  of  the  industry  in  Spain  appears 
to  have  followed  the  course  of  trade  from  other 
countries  and  to  have  maintained  its  distinctive 
character  through  succeeding  centuries,  wherever  it 
found  a  foothold  in  the  Iberian  Peninsula.  Thus  we 
find  that  in  certain  localities  the  principal  characteris- 
tics originally  introduced,  as  a  rule,  survive. 

The  manufacture,  however,  was  not  confined  to 
useful  and  ornamental  glassware,  for  we  learn  that 


SPANISH  GLASS  3 

several  important  establishments  in  Spain  produced, 
from  an  early  time,  large  mirrors,  lusters  and  painted 
glass  windows  for  the  embellishment  of  cathedrals 
and  churches,  of  which  may  be  mentioned  the 
important  examples  at  Toledo,  Seville,  Leon,  and 
other  places.  Serlor  Rico  y  Sinobas  gives  a  list  of 
glass  painters  of  the  fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and  seven- 
teenth centuries,  whose  names  have  been  preserved 
in  the  records  of  the  old  Spanish  churches  and  cathe- 
drals. This  phase  of  the  subject,  however,  need  not 
claim  our  attention  here. 


ROMAN  GLASS 

PLINY,  writing  in  the  first  century  A.D.,  informs 
us  that  in  his  time  glass  was  being  manufactured 
in  Spain.  Don  Manuel  Rico  y  Sinobas1  asserts  that 
in  the  Iberian-Roman  period  glass  was  made  in 
various  places  in  the  interior,  in  the  valleys  which 
run  from  the  coast  of  Catalonia  to  the  Pyrenees, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Ebro,  especially  at  Tortosa, 
also  in  Valencia  and  Murcia,  in  the  valleys  of  Olleria, 
Salinas,  Busot,  and  Rio  Almanzora.  Among  the 
objects  found  in  tombs  of  the  Roman  period  he 

1  Del  Vidrio,  Madrid,  1873,  pp.  11,  12,  and  15. 


4  SPANISH  GLASS 

enumerates  small  jars  with  handles,  cups,  vials 
without  a  foot  but  with  a  wide  neck,  pateras  with 
gold,  plates,  molded  saltcellars,  small  amphorae, 
lacrymatories  of  many  varied  forms,  rings, — red, 
yellow,  and  gilded, — beads,  bracelets,  and  a  multi- 
tude of  trinkets. 

According  to  Kisa,1  the  principal  centre  of  glass- 
making  in  the  Iberian  Peninsula  in  Roman  times 
seems  to  have  been  Taracco,  where  large  quantities 
of  utilitarian  glassware^are  found,  especially  long- 
necked  flasks.  At  other  places,  besides  a  number  of 
engraved  pieces,  great  quantities  of  ordinary  glass- 
ware have  been  found,  of  which  unarranged  collec- 
tions are  preserved  in  museums  without  notes  as  to 
where  found  or  other  information  as  to  their  prove- 
nance. It  is  true  that  glass  had  been  imported  from 
the  East  long  before  the  time  of  the  Romans,  iirst 
through  the  Phoenicians  and  then  through  the  Greeks. 
In  the  Phocian  colony  of  Rosas  (ancient  Rhoda) 
and  the  Massilian  Castellon  de  Ampurias  (Emporion) 
at  the  foot  of  the  Pyrenees,  there  have  been  found, 
besides  glass  beads,  Egyptian  alabastra  and  other 
opaque  glass  with  the  fern  design  and  wavy  thread 
decoration.  A  number  of  beautiful  pieces  from 
Ampurias  have  found  their  way  into  the  Zettler  col- 

1  Das  Glas  im  Altertume,  Leipzig,  1908,  p.  189.    . 


SPANISH  GLASS  5 

lection  in  Munich.  With  the  downfall  of  the  Roman 
sovereignty,  the  glass  industry  of  the  country  seems 
to  have  declined;  Isidor  of  Seville  (who  died  in 
636)  speaks  of  the  glass  factories  of  the  Romans  as 
belonging  to  the  past. 

Engraved  glass  is  of  Italian  provenance.  It 
became  scattered  to  Portuguese  soil  and  was  there 
used  to  place  in  tombs.  One,  a  small  bottle  with 
engraved  view  of  the  coast  of  Puteoli  (Italy)  and  of 
Bajae  was  found  in  an  old  Roman  mine  at  Odemira 
(Portugal),  in  the  province  of  Evora;  others  were 
found  at  Tavira  (Portugal).  This  leads  one  to  sup- 
pose that  the  industry  was  transplanted  from  the 
Campania  (Italy) ,  from  the  oldest  glassworks  of  the 
West,  to  the  Iberian  Peninsula. 

Riafio  states  that  "  Glass  vessels  of  the  Roman 
period  found  in  Spain  are  similar  in  form  and  manu- 
facture to  those  which  we  know  were  made  in  France 
and  Italy.  This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  if  we 
remember  that  the  Romans  imposed  their  artistic 
forms  on  the  countries  they  conquered.  It  is  im- 
possible to  classify  the  specimens  of  this  industry 
into  determined  localities.  The  study  of  the  glass 
paste  may,  at  some  future  period,  give  materials  for 
such  a  classification. 

"One  special  characteristic  of  Roman  glass  may 


6  SPANISH  GLASS 

be  taken  into  account  to  be  applied  to  Spanish  glass 
of  a  later  period.  We  find  ancient  specimens  con- 
stantly ornamented  with  a  sort  of  thread  or  line 
which  runs  all  over  the  vase.  These  lines  are  some- 
times made  of  transparent  glass,  and  sometimes  of 
white  opaque  glass,  termed  in  Italy  latticinio  from 
its  milky  whiteness.  When  the  industry  of  glass 
making  was  revived  in  Europe  during  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries,  classical  forms  were  copied 
in  this  as  in  other  industries ;  this  line  ornamentation 
was  copied  on  a  much  smaller  scale  in  Italy  than  in 
Spain,  where  it  constituted  the  chief  and  constant 
characteristic  of  glass  making.  It  is  an  interesting 
fact  that  objects  of  a  traditional  Moorish  form  have 
the  greatest  amount  of  lines  of  this  style  of  ornamenta- 
tion. We  cannot,  until  this  subject  is  more  thor- 
oughly investigated,  do  otherwise  than  infer  either 
that  the  tradition  of  this  industry  was  preserved  in 
Spain,  or  that  the  Arabs  imported  this  style  of  decora- 
tion from  the  same  localities  from  which  it  had  been 
copied  by  the  Romans  centuries  before."1 

The  collection  of  Roman  glass  in  the  Hispanic 
Museum  belongs  to  the  second  century  and  comes 
from    two   localities — Italica    and    Carmona.     The 

1  The  Industrial  Arts  in  Spain,  South  Kensington  Art  Handbook, 
1879,  p.  229 


SPANISH  GLASS  7 

material  from  the  former  place  was  exhumed  from 
Roman  graves  by  Mr.  Archer  M.  Huntington,  and 
consists  of  bottles,  bowls,  etc.,  of  the  same  character 
as  the  glass  which  has  been  found  in  Italy,  and  else- 
where. 

After  the  Roman  period  the  glass  produced  in 
Spain  may  be  roughly  divided  into  three  classes: 
(1.)  Showing  Eastern  influence;  (2.)  showing  Ital- 
ian influence;  (3.)  showing  Silesian  or  Bohemian 
influence. 

1.  The  glass  of  Southern  Spain  reveals  the  influ- 
ence of  the  nearer  East.  This  is  particularly  true 
of  the  products  of  the  provinces  of  Granada,  Andalu- 
sia, Murcia,  and  Almeria. 

2.  On  the  northeastern  coast,  at  Barcelona  and 
throughout  the  province  of  Catalonia,  at  Mataro, 
Almatret,  and  Cervello,  the  glass  of  Venice,  or  Mu- 
rano,  was  taken  as  model,  the  result  of  the  extensive 
importation  of  Italian  glass  and  glassworkers  in  the 
fifteenth  century  and  later.  The  production  of  glass 
in  Venetian  style  also  extended  into  the  interior  to 
Cadalso,  Recuenco,  Cebreros,  Valdemaqueda,  and 
San  Martin  de  Valdeiglesias. 

3.  At  La  Gran j a  de  Ildefonso  a  style  of  glass  was 
developed  in  the  eighteenth  century  which,  while 
presenting   elements  of   originality,   was  evidently 


8  SPANISH  GLASS 

derived  from  the  cut  and  gilded  glass  of  Bohemia  or 
Silesia. 

While  glass  was  made  at  many  places,  of  more  or 
less  importance,  throughout  Spain,  the  principal 
centres  of  the  manufacture,  during  the  sixteenth 
century  and  later,  were  Almeria,  Catalonia,  and 
Cadalso. 

* 
ALMERIA  (Province  of  Almeria) 

THAT  glass  was  produced  at  Almeria  and  Maria 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  Spain  during  the 
Mohammedan  domination  is  shown  by  Al-Makkari 
the  Arabian  author  of  Mohammedan  Dynasties  in 
Spain  (London  1840),  quoting  Ash  Shakandi,  an 
Oriental  writer  of  the  thirteenth  century,  who  wrote : 
"  Almeria  was  also  famous  for  the  fabrication  of 
all  sorts  of  vases  and  utensils,  whether  of  iron,  copper, 
or  glass."1  The  glass  produced  in  the  provinces  of 
Almeria  and  Granada  was  often  of  an  Oriental  char- 
acter in  which  Persian  forms  were  strongly  marked, 
revealing  none  of  the  influence  of  Italy.  It  was 
usually  of  a  dark  green  color,  a  striking  peculiarity 
being  the  multiplicity  of  handles, — two,  four,  eight, 
or  more  in  number, — which  were  serrated  and  covered 

1  The  Industrial  Arts  in  Spain,  by  Juan  F.  Riafio,  p.  230. 


SPANISH  GLASS  9 

with  rustic  projections,  irregularly  branched  like  the 
twigs  of  a  tree.  This  exuberance  of  ornamentation 
suggests  the  method  employed  by  modern  glass- 
blowers  of  melting  canes  of  glass  over  a  flame  and 
attaching  them  to  the  surface  while  in  a  plastic  state. 
Among  the  forms  produced  there  are  globular  jars, 
vases,  bowls,  and  pilgrim  bottles,  profusely  decorated 
with  spines  and  ridges,  buttons,  trellis-work  and 
encircling  threads. 

"At  Almeria,  which  was  celebrated  for  its  glass 
industry  as  early  as  the  thirteenth  century,' '  says 
a  recent  writer,  "a  peculiar  style  of  glassware  was 
made,  the  forms  of  which  have  been  partially  pre- 
served down  to  the  present  day.  Here  we  find  the 
original  forms  of  the  native  glass  mingled  with 
Oriental  forms  and  decorative  motives.  The  most 
popular  are  examples  of  bulbous  shape  decorated 
with  knobs,  threads,  and  rosettes,  with  wide  funnel- 
shaped  necks  and  a  number  of  handles,  which  latter 
are  decorated  with  an  irregular,  pinched,  comb-like 
ornamentation.  .  .  .  The  collection  of  the  Berlin 
Museum  contains  several  of  these  bizarre,  fantastic 
pieces,  all  of  which,  however,  probably  date  from 
the  seventeenth  to  the  eighteenth  century.  The 
composition  of  this  glass  is  poor;  the  colour  varies 
from  the  palest  olive  green  to  the  deepest  blue  green; 


io  SPANISH  GLASS 

violet  (purple)  and  brown  decorations  are  not  rare."1 
In  the  collections  of  Sefior  G.  J.  de  Osma  of  Madrid 
and  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum  of  South  Ken- 
sington are  numerous  examples  from  Maria.  These 
are  distinguished  by  four  marked  features,  viz.: 
Green  or  olive  colored  glass;  threads  of  glass  encir- 
cling the  surface;  handles  with  serrations  or  rustic 
projections;  and,  most  characteristic  of  all,  a  chain 
pattern  in  relief,  which  encircles  many  of  the  vases 
and  bottles  (see  Plate  IV.). 

According  to  Leonard SWilliams:  "Almeria  was 
probably  the  most  important  centre  of  Spanish- 
Moorish  glass-making,  and  is  mentioned  in  connection 
with  this  craft  by  Al-Makkari.  The  oriental  shape 
of  the  older  vessels  which  were  made  in  this  locality 
is  still  preserved  in  certain  objects  such  as  jars, 
bowls,  flasks  and  aguardiente-bottles,  which  are  still 
manufactured,  or  were  so  until  quite  recently, 
throughout  a  region  extending  from  Almeria  to  the 
slopes  of  the  Alpujarra. 

11  None  of  the  original  Moorish  glass  of  the  Alham- 
bra  has  survived  till  nowadays.  Most  of  it  was 
destroyed  by  the  explosion,  in  the  year  1590,  of  a 
powder  factory  which  lay  immediately  beneath  the 

1  Das  Glas,  Handbook  of  the  Kunstgewerbe  Museum,  Berlin, 
1912^.367,  by  Robert  Schmidt. 


SPANISH  GLASS  n 

palace  and  beside  the  river  Darro.  In  the  Alhambra 
archives  particular  mention  is  made  of  the  circular 
glass  windows  or  '  eyes, '  only  the  corresponding  holes 
of  which  remain,  in  the  baths  of  the  same  palace. 
This  glass,  which  may  have  been  in  colour,  was  also 
destroyed  by  the  explosion,  as  were  the  windows, 
*  painted  in  colour  with  fancy  devices  and  Arabic 
lettering'  of  the  Sala  de  Embajadores,  those  of  the 
Hall  of  the  Two  Sisters,  and  certain  windows, 
1  painted  with  many  histories  and  royal  arms/ 
belonging  to  the  church  of  the  Alhambra." x 

BARCELONA  (Province  of  Catalonia) 

GLASS  was  produced  at  several  places  in  Catalo- 
nia, in  northeastern  Spain,  particularly  at 
Barcelona,  at  an  early  period.  Sefior  Juan  F. 
Riafio2  states  that  as  far  back  as  1324  an  edict  was 
issued  prohibiting  the  establishment  of  glass  factories 
inside  the  city  limits.  A  glass-makers'  guild  was^ 
formed  in  1455,  which  was  in  existence  at  least  until 
1659,  St.  Bernardino  being  its  patron  saint.  Jeroni- 
mo  Paulo  wrote  in  1 491  that  glassware,  which  could 
compare  favorably  with  that  of  Venice,  was  exten- 
sively exported  to  Rome. 

x  The  Arts  and  Crafts  of  Older  Spain,  p.  231  et  seq. 
2  The  Industrial  A  rts  in  Spain,  South  Kensington  Museum  Art 
Handbook,  1890  Edition,  p.  234. 


12  SPANISH  GLASS 

Gerspach1  informs  us  that  on  June  8,  1475,  the 
Catholic  Queen  Isabel  conceded  to  the  monks  of  the 
convent  of  San  Geronimo  de  Guisando  the  privilege  of 
establishing  a  glass  furnace  at  Venta  de  los  Toros  de 
Guisando,  with  exemption  from  the  duties,  or  tax 
on  sales,  and  in  1503  Ferdinand  the  Catholic  sent 
to  Queen  Isabel  two  hundred  and  seventy-four  pieces 
of  glass  of  Barcelona  which  were  worthy  of  their 
high  destination.  This  glass  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  Venetian  Ambassador,  Navagaro,  who  visited 
Spain  in  1523  where  he-^aw  several  pieces  presented 
by  the  princess  to  the  royal  chapel  in  the  Cathedral 
of  Granada.  An  inventory  taken  during  the  reign 
of  Philip  II.  mentions,  under  the  heading  "Bidrios 
de  Barcelona, "  one  hundred  and  nineteen  pieces  of 
glass  of  various  forms,  among  which  were  some 
enameled  lamps. 

This  fabric  is  referred  to  in  the  highest  terms  by 
other  authors,  among  whom  was  Marineus  Siculus, 
who,  writing  early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  stated 
that  "the  best  glass  made  in  Spain  is  that  of  Barce- 
lona." Vases,  rose-water  vessels,  cups,  and  other 
objects  were  provided  with  crinkled  and  serrated 
ornamentation  and  handles  which  varied  in  number 
from  two  to  four  or  more.     The  rose-water  sprinkler 

1  UArt  de  la  Verrerie,  p.  300. 


SPANISH  GLASS  13 

(borracha)  was  often  diagonally  striated  and  pos- 
sessed two  tubes  (one  for  filling  and  one  for  emptying) 
and  a  ring  handle  at  the  top.  These  vessels  were 
carried  by  women  to  sprinkle  rose  water  in  religious 
processions.  This  Spanish  glass,  however,  was 
usually  thicker  and  heavier  than  the  Italian  and  of 
more  clumsy  modeling. 

Rare  specimens  of  glass  with  enamel  painting  have 
been  found  in  Spain  which  have  been  attributed  to 
Barcelona.  They  date  from  the  latter  part  of  the 
fifteenth  to  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
This  variety  of  glass  suggests  an  Eastern  origin 
both  in  the  shapes  and  the  colors  of  the  enamels, 
which  include  dark  red,  brown,  black,  yellow,  blue, 
green,  and  white.  The  green  color  predominates 
and  is  usually  of  a  peculiar  yellowish  tint.  The 
Saracenic  influence  is  shown  in  the  designs,  such  as 
dogs,  hares,  deer,  birds,  and  foliage.  Fine  examples 
of  this  variety  are  preserved  in  the  museums  of 
London,  Hamburg,  Amsterdam,  Paris,  Venice,  and 
Berlin.  In  the  Kunstgewerbe  Museum  of  the  last 
city  is  a  tazza  or  circular  dish  decorated  with  figures 
of  dogs  and  birds  and  foliage  in  enamel  colors  and  in 
Saracenic  style.  Similar  examples  are  in  the  collec- 
tions of  Sefior  G.  J.  de  Osma  of  Madrid  and  Senor 
Emilio  Cabot  of  Barcelona.     The  Victoria  and  Albert 


14  SPANISH  GLASS 

Museum,  London,  contains  a  tazza  with  a  white 
bird  as  the  central  ornament,  surrounded  by  festoons 
of  lily-like  flowers  and  foliage  in  green,  blue,  and  yel- 
low. Two  stags  and  two  hounds  in  white  enamel 
occupy  the  outside  space,  arranged  alternately  at 
equidistant  points,  while  a  second  piece,  of  similar 
character,  bears  a  white  mask  in  the  centre  with 
surrounding  flowers  and  leaves  in  green  and  yellow. 
All  of  these  are  attributed  to  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. 

Edward  Dillon,  in  his  book  on  Glass  mentions  a 
beautiful  example  of  Spanish  enameled  glass  in  the 
Museo  Civico  at  Venice.  It  is  a  small  flask  which 
came  from  the  Maglione  collection  at  Naples.  The 
characteristic  apple  green  enamel  is  relieved  by 
yellowish  foliage  and  red  and  white  birds. 

Two-handled  circular  flasks,  or  vases,  of  flattened 
form,  with  bell-shaped  mouth,  surmounting  a  spread- 
ing foot  are  among  the  most  characteristic  objects 
of  this  provenance  and  period  and  fine  examples  are 
included  in  the  Osma,  Cabot,  and  South  Kensington 
collections  (see  Frontispiece). 

At  Barcelona,  during  the  eighteenth  century, 
opaque  milk-white  glass  with  rudely  painted  decora- 
tions was  produced  quite  extensively,  and  much  of 
this  was  made  for  exportation  to  the  East,  to  Mexico 


SPANISH  GLASS  15 

and    other    countries.     The    principal    forms    were 
drinking  mugs,  flasks,  etc. 

CADALSO  (Province  of  Toledo) 

IN  1517,  Marineus  Siculus  stated  in  his De  las  Cosas 
Memorables  de  Espana  that  "  Glass  was  made 
in  several  towns  of  Castile,  the  most  important  of 
them  being  Cadalso,  which  supplied  the  whole  king- 
dom."1 The  glass  made  there  was,  as  described  by 
Mendez  Silva  in  1645,  "of  beautiful  colours  and 
forms,  which  can  compete  with  the  Venetian."1 
"In  the  latter  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  this 
industry  began  to  fall  off,  until  it  was  revived  by 
Don  Antonio  Obando  in  1692,  and  glass  of  all  sorts 
was  made  there  as  before.  This  revival  lasted  until 
the  middle  of  the  last  century,  at  which  time  glass 
ceased  altogether  to  be  worked  there."2  A  vase  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  in  the  Victoria  and  Albert 
Museum,  is  richly  mottled  in  various  colors,  having 
two  large  scroll-shaped  handles  terminating  at  the 
lower  ends  in  rosettes.  Ewers,  bowls,  cups  and 
saucers,  drinking  cups,  and  bottles  were  among  the 

1  Quoted  by  Riano,  p.  238. 

2  Introduction  to  the  Catalogue  of  the  Art  Objects  of  Spanish 
Production  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum  by  Senor  Juan  F. 
Riano,  1872. 


1 6  SPANISH  GLASS 

objects  produced  there  which  reveal  a  strong  Vene- 
tian influence.  Some  of  these  possess  considerable 
elegance  of  form  and  are  quite  thin,  a  favorite  style  of 
ornamentation  being  pebbled  effects,  bands  and  lines 
of  red,  blue,  and  green  on  a  milk-white  ground. 
Imitations  of  precious  stones  were  also  among  the 
productions  of  Cadalso. 

SAN  MARTIN  DE  VALDEIGLESIAS  (Province 
of  Madrid) 

GLASS  of  fine  quality,  in  the  Venetian  style, 
was  being  produced  in  1680  at  San  Martin 
de  Valdeiglesias,  under  the  direction  of  a  Belgian 
glass-worker,  Diodonet  Lambot,  at  a  factory  estab- 
lished by  the  Duke  of  Villahermosa.  After  his  death 
in  1683,  Lambot  was  succeeded  by  Santiago  Vando- 
leto,  under  whose  management  the  manufacture 
declined,  but  under  the  superintendency  of  Don 
Antonio  Obando,  a  few  years  later,  the  quality  of  the 
Valdeiglesias  products  was  greatly  improved. 

Glass  in  the  Venetian  style  was  also  produced  in 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  at  Cebreros, 
province  of  Segovia;  Valdemaqueda,  province  of 
Avila;  and  at  Mataro,  Almatret,  and  Cervello,  in 
Catalufia.  The  glass  of  Mataro  was  so  celebrated 
that  when  foreign  princes  travelled  in  Spain  the  king 


SPANISH  GLASS  17 

had  a  galley  conduct  them  to  that  place  to  visit  the 
glassworks  there. 


LA  GRANJA  DE  SAN  ILDEFONSO 

AN  important  manufactory  was  established  by 
Don  Juan  de  Goyeneche  in  1 720  in  the  province 
of  Toledo  at  a  place  called  Nuevo  Baztan.  Much  of 
the  glass  made  there  was  exported  to  America,  princi- 
pally to  Mexico  and  to  other  foreign  parts.  Ven- 
tura Sit,  who  had  been  employed  there,  as  stated  by 
Leonard  Williams, x  decided  to  found  a  glassworks  at 
La  Granja.  "Here  is  the  royal  summer  residence  of 
San  Ildefonso,  and  Sit  was  fortunate  enough  to 
secure  at  the  outset — that  is,  in  1728 — the  firm 
protection  of  Philip  the  Fifth  and  of  his  consort, 
Isabel  Farnese.,,  Here  mirrors,  chandeliers,  and 
other  objects  were  produced  for  royal  use.  In  1771, 
one  Eder,  a  Swedish  glass-worker,  and  Sivert,  a 
Frenchman,  directed  the  work  of  making  the  smaller 
and  more  elaborate  articles  and  the  productions  of 
the  factory  were  greatly  improved.  Bottles  and 
other  objects  of  a  useful  and  ornamental  character 
continued  to  be  made  and  a  characteristic  style  was 
developed  after  the  French  and  German  methods. 

1  The  Arts  and  Crafts  of  Older  Spain,  vol.  ii.,  p.  252. 


18  SPANISH  GLASS 

The  glass  itself  was  of  a  somewhat  inferior  quality 
but  the  decorations  were  elaborate,  consisting  of 
richly  cut  and  engraved  devices  such  as  flowers, 
inscriptions,  and  views,  reheightened  with  gold,  the 
invention  of  Sigismund  Brun,  who  originally  came 
from  Hanover  and  directed  the  manufacture  of  the 
plainest  glass.  A  large  number  of  workmen  and 
artists  were  employed  there  until  about  1828,  when 
the  works  passed  into  private  hands  and  were  closed 
about  1849.  Among  the  cut  and  gilded  articles 
produced  at  La  Gran j  a  under  royal  protection  were 
vases  with  two  handles  and  covers,  bottles,  tumblers, 
drinking  mugs,  and  covered  bowls.  The  flattened 
four-sided  bottles  with  cut  or  engraved  decorations 
bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  large  flasks  of 
German  or  Dutch  origin,  which,  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  were  made  to  be  fitted  into  liquor  cases  in 
sets  of  six  to  twelve.  Some  of  the  Spanish  bottles  are 
of  enormous  size  and  elaborately  ornamented  with 
richly  cut  patterns. 

Swinburne,  writing  in  1776,  describes  the  walls  of 
the  great  audience-chamber  of  the  royal  palace  at 
Madrid  as  being  "hung  with  large  plates  of  looking- 
glass  in  rich  frames.  The  manufactory  of  glass  is 
at  Saint  Ildefonso,  where  they  cast  them  of  a  very 
great  size,  but  I  am  told  they  are  apt  to  turn  out 


SPANISH  GLASS  19 

much  rougher  and  more  full  of  flaws  than  those  of 
France."1 

This  style  of  glass  was  introduced  into  Mexico 
by  the  Spaniards,  some  of  whom  may  have  come 
from  La  Granja.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  glass 
of  this  character  was  sent  from  Spain  into  Mexico, 
but  it  is  certain  that  it  was  also,  at  a  little  later  date, 
made  in  Puebla  in  great  quantities  and  today  it  is 
found  throughout  Mexico  in  abundance.  Among  the 
prevailing  forms  of  Spanish  glass  are  pulque  tumblers 
of  enormous  size,  many  of  them  being  twelve  inches 
or  more  in  height,  and  two-handled  vases  varying 
in  dimensions  from  six  to  fifteen  inches.  These 
objects  were  ornamented  in  three  ways.  1.  They 
were  simply  cut  into  decorative  designs,  such  as 
rosettes,  floral  and  foliated  patterns,  birds,  etc. 
without  gilding  or  coloring.  2.  The  cutting  was 
frequently  covered  with  gilding.  3.  The  pieces, 
probably  at  a  later  date,  were  superficially  painted 
over  the  gilding  in  various  colors.  A  large  tumbler 
in  the  Pennsylvania  Museum,  Philadelphia,  is  em- 
bellished in  this  manner  with  floral  subjects  and 
medallions  enclosing  polychrome  heads  of  some  of 
the  more  noted  rulers  of  Mexico. 

1  Quoted  by  Leonard  Williams  in  The  Arts  and  Crafts  of  Older 
Spain,  vol.  ii.,  p.  253. 


20  SPANISH  GLASS 

The  collection  of  glass  in  the  museum  of  the  His- 
panic Society  of  America,  while  limited  in  extent,  is 
fairly  representative  of  the  Roman  period  and  of  the 
various  styles  which  originated  at  the  principal 
seats  of  Spanish  manufacture  in  the  sixteenth, 
seventeenth,  and  eighteenth  centuries. 

I  take  this  opportunity  to  acknowledge  my  in- 
debtedness to  Excmo.  Sr.  Don  G.  J.  de  Osma,  of 
Madrid,  for  helpful  suggestions  in  the  preparation 
of  these  pages. 


CATALOGUE 

i.     VASE 

Height,  g}4  inches. 

Flattened  disc-like  body,  with  long  funnel- 
shaped  neck,  from  which  spring  two  slender 
figure  2 -shaped  handles,  and  resting  on  a  small 
spreading  foot.  The  decoration  on  either  side 
consists  of  crudely  painted  figures, — a  bridal 
pair, — standing  between  fir-like  trees,  above  which 
are  birds.  The  costumes  of  the  figures  are  those 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  enamel  colors — 
light  green,  yellow,  and  white — have  been  applied 
thickly  and  stand  out  in  marked  relief,  the  handles 
being  touched  with  gold. 
Barcelona,  Spain,  sixteenth  century. 

See  Frontispiece. 

2.    POKAL,  OR  GOBLET 

Height,  7K  inches. 

Bell-shaped  bowl  and  stem  with  central  bulb, 
terminating  in  a  trumpet-shaped  foot.     The  deco- 

21 


22  SPANISH  GLASS 

ration  consists  of  bands  of  enamel  in  flame-like 
ornaments,  alternating  with  vertical  dashes,  at 
upper  and  lower  edges  of  the  bowl,  and  on  the 
stem;  beneath  the  upper  rim  are  two  bands  of 
conventional  scroll  and  festoon  designs;  sur- 
rounding the  stem  bulb  is  a  circle  of  S-shaped 
motives  separated  by  dots,  while  around  the 
expanded  foot  are  bold  ornaments  resembling 
conventionalized  fleur  de  lis.  The  color  of  the 
glass  is  blue,  the  ornamentation  being  green,  rose, 
and  white  enamel,  with  touches  of  gold.  This 
chalice-like  form  of  cup  occurs  in  Arab  glass,  and 
is  frequently  found  in  the  productions  of  Murano, 
of  the  seventeenth  century  and  later.  Ger- 
spach1  figures  two  enameled  glasses  of  this  type 
with  Arabic  inscriptions,  which  he  attributes  to 
the  thirteenth  century.  One  is  in  theChartres 
Museum,  the  other  in  the  museum  at  Douai.  The 
former  is  decorated  in  white  and  blue  enriched 
with  gold.  The  inscription  is  in  gold  in  Neski 
characters  and  has  been  translated  "Enduring 
glory,  long  life  exempt  from  disease,  favorable 
fortune  always,  great  prosperity.' '  The  inscription 
on  the  Douai  chalice  has,  on  account  of  its  fantastic 
character,   not  yet  been  deciphered.     The  form 

1  UArt  de  la  Verrerie,  Paris,  1885. 


SPANISH  GLASS  23 

appears  to  have  been  copied  at  some  of  the  Spanish 
glass  centres  where  the  Italian  influence  was 
strongly  marked.  The  decoration  of  the  Hispanic 
cup,  in  colored  enamels,  is  bold  and  heavy  and 
indicates  Spanish  treatment  rather  than  Venetian, 
and  we  are  inclined  to  attribute  it  to  Barcelona 
or  one  of  the  Catalonian  factories  of  the  late  seven- 
teenth or  early  eighteenth  century. 

Plate   II 

3.     BEAKER,  OR  POKAL  BOWL 

Height,  4  inches;  Diameter  of  Brim,  $34  inches. 

Of  clear,  colorless  glass,  with  widely  flaring 
sides  and  small  flat  base.  The  reticulated  surface 
pattern  is  traced  in  white  enamel,  with  brown, 
green,  and  yellow  dots  in  the  meshes.  The  brim 
is  embellished  on  the  under  side  with  green  oak 
leaves  surrounded  by  white  traceries,  touched  with 
gold.  Evidently  the  upper  part  of  a  goblet, 
whose  stem  and  foot  are  missing.  The  scar  on 
the  base  plainly  shows  that  it  has  been  broken 
from  its  support.  Probably  of  Barcelona  origin, 
in  Venetian  style,  showing  Arabic  influence,  and 
may  be  ascribed  to  the  seventeenth  century. 

Plate  III 


24  SPANISH  GLASS 

4.  FLASK 

Height,  6^  inches. 

Flattened  form,  spiral  threads  around  shoulder, 
chain-like  band  of  triangular  figures  below. 
Thick,  olive  green  glass. 

From  Maria,  province  of  Almeria,  early  seven- 
teenth century.  Plate  IV 

5.  CUP 

Height,  53^8  inches. 

Globular  body,  standing  on  flat,  circular  foot. 
Band  of  chain  pattern^around  lower  part,  in  relief. 
Crimped  and  winged  handle.  Colorless  glass  of 
yellowish  tint,  showing  Venetian  influence. 
Spanish,  probably  Catalonian,  eighteenth  century. 

Plate  V 

6.  SUGAR  BOWL 

Height,  7^  inches. 

Standing  on  foot,  having  cover  and  two  handles. 
Colorless    glass,   cut    and    gilded  festoon  design 
around  centre. 
La  Granja  de  San  Ildefonso,  Spain,  eighteenth 

century.  Plate  VI 

7.  TUMBLER 

Height,  5K  inches. 

Cylindrical  form,  fluted  below;  cut  and  gilded 
decoration. 


SPANISH  GLASS  25 

La  Granja  de  San  Ildefonso,   Spain,  eighteenth 
century.  Plate  VII 

8.  BOTTLE,  OR  DECANTER    , 

Height,  12^8  inches. 

Tall,  slender  form.     The  decorations  consist  of 
bold  floral  designs,   cut  and  gilded;  on  neck  a 
circle  of  gilded  stars. 
La  Granja  de  San  Ildefonso,   Spain,  eighteenth 

century.  Plate  VIII 

9.  MUG 

Height,  $}4  inches. 

Flaring  at  top;  one  handle;  decorated  with  floral 
sprays  in  gold. 
La  Granja   de  San   Ildefonso,  Spain,  eighteenth 

century.  Plate  IX 

10.     VASE 

Height,  12  inches. 

Bulbous  body;  cylindrical  collar;  spreading  foot ; 

two  handles;  cut  and  gilded  festoon  decoration  on 

sides. 

La  Granja  de  San   Ildefonso,  Spain,   eighteenth 

century.  Plate  X 

(Vases  of  this  type  are  found  in  abundance  in 

Mexico,  many  of  which  have  been  brought  from 

Spain,  while  some  were  produced,  under  Spanish 

influence,  at  Puebla,  Mexico.) 


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Pokal,  or  Goblet 

Barcelona 

Late  Seventeenth  Century 


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Plate  IV 


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San  Ildefonso 

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